an end + a beginning + my word

Ali you have continued to inspire me throughout the entire Year. Every week, every month is as if, we two seperate individuals, have been on a journey together....different paths, different countries, different lives but very similar thought processes. I would think something (brood actually) and then over my morning Cuppa I would see your weekly challenge or daily something and say to myself....WOAH! Some days my thoughts would be fuzzy and then you would have it all out there clear and in the open. So for that I want to say to you, Thank You! I hope you have a wonderful New Year and here is to you your Vitality on all accounts!
Now on to my word for the year;
SELF-SUFFICIENT
self-suf·fi·cient
adjective
1. able to supply one's own or its own needs without external assistance: The nation grows enough grain to be self-sufficient.
2. having extreme confidence in one's own resources, powers, etc.: He was self-sufficient, and always reminded you of it.
Although I do consider myself to be pretty self-sufficient I do feel as though I could be even more so. I`m 26 and still don`t have a drivers liscense so therefore I am dependant on others to an extent for transport whether it be my Husband, Mother, Friends or the public transit system. I want that freedom that comes with being able to jump in your car and GO!
I consider this word to encompass everything I want to accomplish this year. I want to continue to have my house get re-organised and cleared of any clutter that exists, I want to confidently go forth with my art. Scrapbooking and as of late my desire to paint again and to play with mixed media. With two degrees under my belt and a need to again return to school to get a B.A. I want to make some clear decisions as to where I want my life to go career wise. I ant to get my butt in gear and keep on the healthy active bandwagon. Many resolutions as you can see, but to me they are all summed up in that one word. Heres to a Happy and Self-Afficient Me!

i've read so many inspiring words in this comment section. almost makes me want to have one word a month to focus on! but my word of the year is HEAL. this christmas there was a huge explosion of hurtful feelings, and i have chosen to distance myself from those people. i feel like now is my time to break free from people that continually hurt me and do not care about the damage that they do to me. it's time for me to find my bio father and hopefully heal the deep wound from his abandonment. and if he doesn't want a relationship, heal in a way that accepts him for who he is and that i'm okay without him in my life. i need to heal the childhood wounds that have shaped me to be the woman i am today. but as an adult...i do not need to perpetuate the things that i saw and pass that on to my innocent children. my heart is broken, but it is not cold. it is still open to finding peace and becoming whole. at 1:30 a.m. on jan 1...i should be tired. but instead i am hopeful and excited about what lies ahead today and the rest of this year! happy new year ali. god bless you for all that you contribute to this world.

happy 2008
my word...
triscadecaphobia
i do not fear "13" but i love the sound of this word.
oxo
catherine

I have reached the halfway point of my 365 day project. It has been an awesome thing to do, a struggle at times, but I am loving the look of the end result. I have mounted each photo (printed at 3 x 4 size) on to cardstock and then bunched each months together, and have decorated a box to keep them in. Lots of work, but cool to loook back on. Good luck with your 365 day project

Hi Ali
I didn't realize that I was thinking about words for a year at all, 'till I read your blog today. It suddenly came to me, that lately, for the past two months, I am so pre-occupied with change... Maybe it's because I am in a stage in my life I really don't like, but I have the feeling that, despite all the things I do or think, nothing changes and all stays the same. I don't set goals for a new year as I can't stick to them, but I think a word that will come up more frequently in my mind will be:
CHANGE.
It's harder than you'd think, but changing habits, traditions or job isn't always as simple as I would like to be...
Make a great year of it, Ali.

My word for this year is ACCOMPLISH and I specifically want to turn round this German proverb..."Who begins too much accomplishes little".
Started by cleaning off the noticeboard (very freeing) and scrapping Accomplish with quotes to start it off again.
Now to get down on paper some actual goals.

Last year my word was colour. This year it will be LOVE. To begin with, love for myself, so I can show my boundaries and not let everybody just take what they want from me and then it's just a small step to love you all. Love your neighbours like you love yourself; so it's all about self love first. I want to make an album for it this year and mak it an ongoing project.
Thanks again for the initiative and inspiration Ali.
Wishing you and your beautiful men a wonderful 2008.

Out of all 156 comments I have seen just one other person with the word I have chosen for this year...my word is FAITH.
I already have this 7-1/2x10- 1/2 wall hanging made with the word faith on it and the phrase "Absolute Treasure" at the bottom. It's amazing how we can play off each other while living our lives. Thank you Ali.

My word for the year is COMPASSION-compassion for all beings- for those I love, for those I am indifferent towards and for those who make me angry or afraid. It is a mighty practice of mindfulness. Thank you for all the ideas and thank you for sharing Simon's story with us. 365 Project reminds me of art school and the assignment of shooting one roll a day for week-it's still an assignment I give my own students (I teach traditional photo). I think I'll try the 365 myself with my digital-faster and cheaper and a great way to practice "looking".

i have been thinking about this for two weeks or more. drum roll please. my word is going to be
APPRECIATE.
last year my word was BEGIN. a highly recommended word. lots and lots of reasons why. at some point each day i thought that word and it would center me.

Happy New Year Ali!!
I chose the word Faith.
As a struggling Nursing student last semester I found myself doubting my successes etc and my husband kept telling me that I needed to have faith in myself, so there she is. ;)
Happy New Year to everyone who reads this!!
Hugs,
Jenny in Maine
MY BLog: www.ThisEveryDayLife.com

Thanks for the inspiration Ali and for sharing a peek into your lives with us all.
FLY. A small word but it means so much to me. I can fly and make my dreams come true. A bird can get there much quicker and enjoy the view, (as a crow flies). So that is my word FLY free and be ME!
thanks
Sarah

FORWARD... I need to move forward so that is my 2008 word. Happy New Year to you and your family Ali!

my word for 2008 is FOCUS: To concentrate attention or energy (synonyms: engage, adjust, attract, balance & connect)
focus on what's important
focus on achieving balance
focus on making connections
focus on making healthy choices
focus on establishing my photography business & attracting clients
another goal was also to capture at least one photo everyday, so it was cool to read about the project365!
thanks for the everyday inspiration!
happy new year!

I've been thinking about my word for a couple of weeks and have finally decided on ACCOMPLISH.
I have found many quotes which will inspire me to ACCOMPLISH in 2008, but this is one of my favourites.
“You can have anything you want - if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.”
Abraham Lincoln
Wishing you and your family a wonderful 2008 full of vitality!
Nina

My word is FORWARD. I need to move forward this year after a very difficult 2007 where I lost my father, a close friend, & separated from my husband, but I also lost 80 pounds that needed to go. 2008 is all about moving forward & creating a new life.

"Organic" - meaning to be more simple, healthful, natural and close to nature.

Ali, you inspire me in the simplest ways. For example, my darling sister gave me your new book for Christmas (she's the bomb), and I was thumbing through it and saw a little blurb about mixing 12x12 lo with 8 1/2x11 lo and how it was okay. It was like I had a "oops, I coulda had a V-8" moment.
That being said, my word for 2008: accept
If I can just apply that to all aspects of my life, it should be a better year.
Thanks for sharing your life through your lo's and inspiring us.
P.S. Simon and Henry are getting so BIG!

My word for 2008 is OPEN.
I have to "allow" myself to be more open...to just about everything. My fiance, my family, situations, and myself. I can be a closed and very reserved person (especially emotionally) - however, people never have a problem opening up to me. I've often wondered why...
Even people at the drive-thru window of a food chain have told me things that amaze me. That being said, the thing I need to focus on this year is being OPEN to the opportunities this world is giving me and to myself.
And I think this comment is my first step forward...

My word this year is ORGANIZATION. In many ways, I need to clean out the clutter in my life. Clean out the things that keep me back, stress me out and waste my time and make me go around in circles accomplishing much less than I am capable of.

My word for 2008 is BLISS.
I no longer want to settle for "good enough" or "getting by." This is the one chance I'm going to get at life and I want it to be blissful.
I know every moment won't be perfect, but I think if I focus on creating bliss in my life, inviting in the things that will bring bliss, I'll be on the right track for an outstanding 2008.
And I hope along the way I'll be able to create a little bliss in the lives of those around me.
Last year my word was FORWARD, and I'm happy to say it worked. I am not in the same place I was when I entered 2007. I walked through the year knowing that everything that happened would bring me to a new place for the start of 2008. Hopefully focusing on BLISS will be as successful!

my word for 2008 is optimism.
So many times I see the cup as half empty when it's half full. I'm so blessed with family and friends, I want this year to be a year of looking for the good in things - changing how I perceive the world around me.
happy new year!

I am (shamelessly) stealing this from a cereal commercial, but my word this year is STRONGER. 2007 was a year of change and upset. 2008 will mean emerging from 2007's transitions STRONGER. This stretches into all areas of my life--family, self, financial, work....and knowing that if I am STRONGER my world is a better place :)

Hi Ali...I'm so inspired by all your work.
My word is SELF. Wow, it's uncomfortable for me to even put that word out there. :)Taking care of, enriching, trusting, believing in, confidence in, placing value in & most importantly taking time for...SELF.
Peace. :)

My word this year, after much deliberation is SURRENDER. Surrender my need to plan and control every tiny detail of my day and my family's day to the point where I am not focusing on and enjoying the moment but always preparing for the next thing. Surrender my own ideas of what I am supposed to be doing and instead, asking God what he wants to do through me. A happy, healthy and blessed new year to you and your family, Ali.